Instrument supporting cord



y 25, 942. A. ROBERTSON INSTRUMENT SUPPORTING com) Filed Feb. 23, 1939 INVENTOR M milwwwmwwu ATTORN EY Patented May 26, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT o FFICE INSTRUMENT SUPPORTING com) Al bertfRolb'ertson, Milwaukee, Wis. Application February 23, 1939, Serial'No. 257,791

g 1 Claim. I (01. .2244) This invention relates to .improvements in instrument supporting-cords, and more particu larly to an adjustable supportingcord adapted to encircle and depend from the neck of amusicianyfor the purpose vof supporting a wind instrument.

Wind instruments such as saxophones require the use of both of the players handsfor the manipulation of the valves, and it is therefore customary maid in thesupport of-the instrument by ireleasably engaging it with ?the lower end portion 'of a "looped cord which encircles and depends from the neck of the player. 7

In my prior-.U. S.-Patent No; 2,100,088 I have illustrated and described an-instrument supporting cord of the type under consideration where in an endless cord is arranged in loopformation to provide a single loop and a pair of double loops, said looped portions being separated by a manipulatable slide locking block. In the construction disclosed in said prior patent, a hook for engaging themusical instrument is depended from both portions of the double loop, and the loops forming the double loop are of substantially the same size, and both strands pass through the eye of the hook whichengagestheinstrument. While this arrangement is normally satisfactory where it is desired to use the supporting device with only one size instrument, it is found that it ,is'somewhat inconvenient if the musician desires to interchangeably use several instruments, as for instance a bass saxophone and a -tenor saxophone. The several instruments thus interchangeably used by the musician are of varying sizes, and this necessitates, besides the usual initial adjustment of the supporting cord, a further adjustment each time a shift is made from one instrument to another. It is,

therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide 'an-instrument supporting cord having depended therefrom in Vertically spacedapart relationa pair'of instrument supporting hooks, whereby the supporting cord, after-being positioned on the musician, can be used for supporting several diiTerent sized instruments without the need of further adjustments.

In the-type of supporting cord shown in my prior patent, the strands of both sections of the double loop pass through the single eyelet of the hook, and it has been found that this may unduly bind or restrict free movement of the hook and may cause improper disposition of portions of the supporting device.

A further object of the present invention is to eliminate the last mentioned difficulty by proiding, in an instrument supporting cord, ;a depending-double loop portion wherein the ;loops are separated and are of different sizes and wherein it is necessary that only one loop pass through the .eye of one supporting hook, whereby binding of the cords and restriction of free by a flexible member, this arrangement preventing-tangling'and undesired twisting of the cord strands.

A further object of the invention is to provide an instrument supporting cord Which is readily adjustable as to length and wherein instrument engaging supporting hooks are carried by the cord at different elevations.

A'furthercbject of the invention is to provide an instrument supporting cordin which twisting and knotting tendencies of the cord are minimized so that the cord will-always hang neatly and properly with the hook portions disposed for proper engagementwith an instrument.

A'further object of the invention is to provide an instrument supporting cord of the character described which is of very simple construction, which is inexpensiv e to manufacture,

which is strong and'durable, and which is well adapted for the purposes set forth.

- With-the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved instrument supporting cord and itsparts and combinations as set forth in the claim, and all equivalents thereof. In the accompanying drawing in which the samereference characters indicate the same parts in all of-the'views:

Fig. lis a view of the musician, showing a saxophone supported onone of the hooks carried:by the improved adjustable cord;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the corol;

Fig. 3 is a-fragmentary view, ona larger scale,

showing the lower looped portions of the cord,

with the adjustingblock through which the cord passes being shown in longitudinal section;

ing asecond -modification of the invention.

Referring "now more particularly to the drawing, it will appear that a saxophone player or position, but should inFig. 3, and it is similar to .block [5. nor to the hooks J8 and I8.

musician is indicated by the numeral 8, and he is represented as playing a saxophone 9 which is supported by the improved adjustable cord, indicated generally by the'numeral ID.

The adjustable cord is arranged with an upper loop ll, adapted toenoircle the neck of the player, and including a collar strap I2, and a pair of different sized noncoinciding, lower loops I3 and I4. Portions of the cord forming all of the loops extend slidably and adjustably through an adjusting block I5. The lower portion of the larger loop 14 extends slidably through the eye [6! of a lower hook I6. The lower hook is adaptg q the efiectivelength of the cord is increased. In

ed to be engaged with a standard eye l1 pro- M jecting from an intermediate portion ofthe instrument 9, which is presumably abass orlarger sized saxophone. The smaller loop l3 has its lower portion extended slidably through the eye l8 of an upper hook I8. It will be noted,---that due to the marked difference in size between'the loops l3 and M, the hook IB'is carriedat" an elevation considerably above that of thehook l6. Thehook l8 hangs freely in an out-of-the-way the musician desire to changefromthe large instrument! to a smaller instrument, the raised or elevated hook "is" at a proper elevation forsupporting a smaller instrument.' a I I The lower end portion of the smaller loop I3 is adjustably associatedwith the lower endportion of the larger loop l4 by means or a flexible cord or connector [9. In the principal former the invention the upper end of this connector l9 is secured withinthe eye l8 of the upper hook l8, and the lower end portion of said connector is secured within the eye l6 of the lower hook Hi. This connector maintains a desired relationship between the small and large loops from which the respective hooks are depended.

The adjusting member is shown in detail the adjusting member shown in my prior Patent No. 2,100,088. It is in the form of a block ofany suitable material having a general oval shape. -A bore extends from the'upper end of the block longitudinally inwardly to meet a transverse borej2 I The lower peripheral portion of the block is' provided with a groove or recess 22. a V a 7 The loops H, l3 and [4; are all formed from a single length of cord. "-One end of said cord 23, and then the cord extends downwardly there from and passes through the bore 200i the block and is brought out of the block through one end of the bore 2|. This portion of the cord then extendsdownwardly to form the small loop -|3,

being passed through the eye l8' of the upper hook l8; and it is then continued upwardly and passed through. the pposite end of the bore 2| and entirely through the samepand it is then continued downwardly and arranged in the form of the large lower loopJA passing through the eye l6 of the lower hook IS. The cord portion forming the large loop I] is continued upwardly andenters the opposite side of the transverse bore 2| and is then passed upwardly throughthe bore 20 .and out ofthe block with its upper end portion being secured to the other end of the strap l2 as at 24. Obviously the portions of the cord. above the block, including the strap l2, form the upper. loop II, and it shouldbe notedthat the cord is unbroken throughout and is not made is secured toan end of the collarstrap l2 as'at very easily and expeditiously. When the upper loop encircles the neck of the musician, the cord depends as shown, and by holding the lower hook IB' lightly with'one hand, the block l5 may be engaged with the other hand to be slid upwardly or downwardly, with the cord somewhat slack. An upward movement of the block serves to shorten the effective length of the entire cord, and when this is accomplished, the upper loop ll is madesmaller, and thelower loops are enlarged; but thelatter are enlarged to a considerably less extent than the former is lessened. In a reverse manner, when the block is lowered,

making these adjustments there is relative sliding movement between the engagedparts of the block andcord and between the engaged portions of the loo'p's l3 and and the eyes of the hooks fast at any point toany portion of the adjusting The effective length of the cord. may

position of the hooks l8-and-l6. Furthermore, changes in the adjustment of the effective length of the entire cord maintain a properrelationship between the disl8 and I6.

When theproper adjustment has been made and the cord is' in use and is sustaining the weight of an instrument, either on thehook'lG or on the hook Hi, the friction of the cord through the portion of the block and its binding engagement with portions or the block is sumcient to prevent the adjusting .its position; and the cord will maintain its proper length. The hooks l6 and I8, being freely carriedby the lower end portions of the loops i4 and I 3, will of'course find their proper position at the lower ends of said loops regardless of the adjustment of the same, and a proper relationship between said loops is maintained by the connector l9.

A slight modification of thelinvention is illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein the upper hook l8 has its eye 18' freely receiving the 'smaller'loop I3, and the smaller loop I3 is connected to the larger loop l4 by a flexible connector l9 whose lower end is secured to the eyeof the lower hook l6. However the' upper end of' the connector l9 carries a ring 25 through which the upper loop l3 slidably extends, with the result that the upper hookl8 is actually free of the connector 19'. f

A second modification is illustrated in Fi 5, and in this form of the invention an upper hook 'may or may not be carried by the loop l3. The

connector between the upper loop l3 and the lower loop I4 is in the form of a flexible chain I9". The lower end portion of this chain is secured to the eye l6 of the lower hook I6, and the upper end portion of this chain carries a ring 25 through which the upper loop l3 slidably extends. V

The improved instrument supporting cord is susceptible of easy and quick adjustments and additionally provides the novel and desirable expedient of'permitting interchangeable supportof different sized instruments; When one supporting hook is being used, the other supporting hook disposed in a non-interfering position. The

be varied 75. adjusting member'through which portions of the block from shifting 2,284,069 cord pass and movable to vary the effective length r hook slidably depended from a lower portion of each of said lower loops and attached to opposite ends of said connector, said hooks being normally maintained at elevations difiering by the length of the connector through cooperation between said connector and. said adjusting member.

ALBERT ROBERTSON. 

